Every single week, our TV and film experts will list the most important ten streaming selections for you to pop into your queues. We’re not strictly operating upon reviews or accrued streaming clicks (although yes, we’ve scoured the streaming site charts) but, instead, upon those selections that are really worth noticing amid the churning sea of content. There’s a lot out there, after all, and your time is valuable.
TIE: 10. Good Omens (Amazon Prime series)
Neil Gaiman and the late Terry Pratchett’s writing styles bounce off each other with remarkable verve as embodied by David Tennant (as demon Crowley) and Michael Sheen (as angel Aziraphale). The second season finale has already left fans asking for more, and Neil has addressed the subject as much as humanly possible and in accordance with the rules of the Hollywood strikes. Already, the second season took longer than perhaps expected due to recent global chaos, but it was worth the wait with the central hate-love relationship shifting into a new gear. These two must hold it together to keep enjoying life on earth, and of course, Armageddon is a threat to that quest.
TIE: 10. The Bear (FX series streaming on Hulu)
People still cannot quit this season, and for several reasons, not the least of which is a Cousin Richie-focused episode (and subsequent showdown) that’s worth watching multiple times. FX hasn’t yet officially greenlit a third season of this sleeper-series-turned-juggernaut, but surely, that call will be coming soon. Fingers crossed for more Will Poulter, Jon Bernthal, and Joel McHale’s a-hole Chef along with another family gathering, if you know what I mean. Additionally, Ayo Edebiri has gone on record to call Carmy/Sydney shippers “frustrating,” so read into that what you will. Sydney can do better, imo.
9. Dark Winds (AMC series streaming on AMC+)
George R.R. Martin and Robert Redford put on their producing hats here, and this is a stellar watch that I’d highly recommend binging at some point. (Mostly) Native American writers are doing the thing here as based upon Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn & Chee book series and the two 1970s Navajo cops (at a remote area near Monument Valley) who embark upon apparently unrelated crimes including a double murder case. In the process, they see things that make them think twice about their spiritual beliefs. The forces of evil swirl while the cops’ personal demons could actually be the key to emerging back into salvation territory. Are you intrigued? Good.
8. They Cloned Tyrone (Netflix movie)
The description of the three main characters here — Jamie Foxx as a pimp, Teyonah Harris as a sex worker, and John Boyega as a drug dealer — somehow isn’t even a fraction as frenetic as the story itself. The film pays homage to Blaxploitation cinema in an absurd and wildly fun way, and this is a good at-home chaser to make you feel even more giddy and discombobulated than you did after a Barbenheimer double feature. In short, the characters fall into a rabbit hole full of conspiracies after the government weaponizes Black cultural tidbits against the Black community. It is a lot.
7. The Lost Flowers Of Alice Hart (Amazon Prime series)
Sigourney Weaver and Alycia Debnam-Carey (who recently ended her long run on Fear The Walking Dead) star in this drama about a a young girl who loses her parents and heads into her grandma’s way of life on a flower farm. Alyla Browne portrays the young Alice, and this obviously isn’t the cheeriest subject matter, but its performance are earning raves in this adaptation of the bestselling Holly Ringland book.
6. Reservation Dogs (FX series streaming on Hulu)
Everyone’s four favorite Indigenous teens — and I’m being ornery because they are TV pioneers alongside Sterlin Harjo and Taika Waititi — are here for one final lap and some last jobs, if you will. Elora Danan, Bear Smallhill, Willie Jack, and Cheese thought they were achieving their big dream but will be attempting to return home to rural Oklahoma. There are very few places like home, after all, and the group will face off with their changing visions of the future while the elders continue to provide both comic relief and drama. Between this and Dark Winds (along with the recent The English), Indigenous representation is finally starting to receive its due on the small screen.
5. Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse (Sony movie streaming on VOD and Amazon Prime)
The phenomenal second installment in Sony’s Spider-Verse is as thrilling as the Oscar-winning original and has a ton of Gwen, so basically, it’s even better than the original. Did I say that out loud? Almost. Miles Morales is, of course, back and sad without Gwen by his side, but he’s got plenty of distractions, and that includes the antagonistic (not to mention addictive) Spot. You will not wish for this damn Spot to be out, in other words. Just watch it!
4. Justified: City Primeval (FX series streaming on Hulu)
Raylan Givens has been a bit of a naughty dude lately (and Carolyn is no slouch in that same department), and we’ll soon see whether he’s in over his head in Detroit. Clement Mansell is still a wily and slippery antagonist, and Raylan is working through that reminder of his angry ways. Alongside all of the obligatory Marshal-ing, this show is making quite a case in the ages-old dilemma of boxer briefs vs. tighty whities. A real public service.
3. Hijack (Apple TV+ series)
This show is like a seven-episode panic attack, and it’s for audiences who liked The Bear for the stressed-out-but-loving-it aspect. Idris Elba plays a negotiator who ends up taking those skills to the sky as a passenger who must halt hijackers who take over a cockpit by means that may or may not test your suspension of belief. Does logic truly matter when it comes to a show this addictive to watch? Elba never hesitates to throw himself into “action” mode, even if movement is severely hampered here due to close confines.
2. Only Murders in the Building (Hulu series)
All hail the underappreciated Selena Gomez, who returns with the other two members of her dream team (Steve Martin and Martin Short), and Meryl Streep is also along for the homicidal ride. The principal trio is mopping up after the resolution of the search for Bunny’s murder, but there’s no time to relax when there’s more (fictional) true-crime shenanigans afoot. Somehow, the Primetime Emmys keep overlooking Selena’s vast contributions here, but at least the Daytime Emmys have not made the same mistake.
1. Heartstopper (streaming on Netflix series)
Look for a switched-up vibe from the first season of this fan-favorite Netflix series. The City of Lights/City Of Love receives plenty of focus this time around, as does prom season and all preparations for these characters to gear up for adulting. Nick and Charlie are adjusting to the whole relationship thing while the rest of the crew (Tara, Darcy, Tao, and Elle) all attempt to cope with their own challenges. Also, they have to worry about actual studies on top of the dramedy that frequently punctuates preparing to move into a new phase in life. Not an easy feat!
